


Flowers, Sweets and Teddy Bears

by LyriaBlackFrost



Series: Gladnis Week 2018 [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Gladio is surprisingly bad with romances, Gladnis Week, Iris tries to save him, Light-Hearted, M/M, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 22:46:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15783663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Gladio liked romances, but actually sucked at being romantic himself.Day 5: “The one where one of them tries to play cupid but falls in love himself” for the Gladnis week 2018.





	Flowers, Sweets and Teddy Bears

Almost five hundred pages in, things were getting at their highest point in that book.

“Gladdy…”

Lies had been uncovered, masks were shattered, the star-crossed lovers were about to hold each other in their arms…

“Gladdy…”

He couldn’t wait to see how everything would unfold, and he’d certainly hate to be interrupted.

“Gladdy… Gladdy… Gladdy…”

Gladio closed the book with an annoyed sigh, staring at his little sister, who had been jumping around his armchair and repeating his name for the last few minutes.

“What is it, Iris?” he asked.

She stopped jumping, offering him an unamused smile and a raised brow.

“Ah, you’re such a good brother…” she said in a sarcastic tone. “Always giving me so much attention.”

_Was she starting to sound like Noctis?_

“Just say what you want, already.”

Her face gained a more serious — almost urgent — expression.

“I need your help with something.”

“With what, monkey?”

Iris frowned, puffing her cheeks and shaking her fists.

“Don’t call me monkey!” she said. “If you don’t stop, I’ll start calling you gorilla!”

“Fine, fine… What is it?”

All that anger soon faded, giving place to pink cheeks and a light smile. _Oh, no_ _…_

“I wanted to know…” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “What should I do if I start liking someone?”

“You tell me who he is so I can punch his face.”

“I’m serious!”

“And who said I’m not?”

Iris twisted her lips, not happy with that answer.

“C’mon, Gladdy…” she insisted. “I need your help!”

“And what makes you think I’m any good with romantic advices?”

She looked a little surprised with the question.

“You should be! Aren’t you a popular guy?”

Gladio sighed, opening his book again.

“If I was,” he said, “I’d have a boyfriend already.”

He realized his mistake as soon as he said it. He stared at the pages for a few seconds, then slowly turned his face in Iris’ direction. Her widened eyes and open mouth made it clear she wouldn’t let that pass.

“Boyfriend?” she repeated.

“Girlfriend,” said Gladio in a slightly loud tone. “I said girlfriend.”

“You said boyfriend, and I heard it!” she leaned forward, her face almost glued to his. “So you like boys? Is there a boy you like?”

He gently pushed her away, feeling exhausted.

“Of course not.”

Iris looked at him, as if pondering if she should believe his words.

“There is!” she concluded.

“Why did you ask me, if you knew the answer?”

But Iris ignored his question.

“Who is he?”

“Like I’m gonna tell you.”

She thought for a few seconds.

“Is it Ignis?”

Gladio stared at her.

“How…?”

His reaction was enough answer to Iris, who laughed, victorious.

“It _is_ Ignis!” she said. “I knew it! I always see you two together!”

“Yeah, fine, you won…” Gladio grunted. “But listen, monkey… This stays between us, alright?”

“Sure!” she said. “But you should tell Ignis that you like him!”

“Ha, yeah…”

“I’m serious, Gladdy!”

He shook his head, aware that his sister wouldn’t give up on the subject so early.

“Why are you suddenly so interested in this, anyway?” he asked. “Weren’t you the one who wanted advice?”

She placed both hands over her chest, smiling like a little angel.

“I’m just putting my brother’s happiness in first place,” she said.

“You just think it’s fun.”

“That too…”

He grumbled under his breath, trying to open his book again. Iris took it away from him, hiding it behind her back.

“C’mon, Gladdy…” she said, placing the book on his nightstand. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Fine…” he looked at her, resigned. “And how do you want to help?”

“What’s his favorite flower?”

“I… don’t know.”

“You don’t?” she arched her brow. “And what’s his favorite sweet?”

“Cake, I guess?”

“What kind of cake?”

“The sweet kind?”

“You’re not helping…” she was starting to sound a little frustrated. “Does he have something he likes a lot? Like teddy bears?”

Gladio frowned at the idea of Ignis secretly owning a bunch of teddy bears.

“How should I know?” he asked.

“Don’t you like him?” retorted Iris.

“Yeah, but…”

“Then you should know these things!” she huffed, crossing her arms. “What do you even talk about when you’re together?”

“I don’t know, anything?”

“And what is anything?”

“Just whatever comes to mind.”

Iris covered her face with a hand. Gladio wondered if he was doing _that_ bad in her test of romanticism. Considering her groans, probably worse.

“That won’t do!” she said. “You need to learn more about him!”

She spent the next few minutes mumbling to herself about “how she could help her idiot of a brother”, and then her face brightened.

“I have a plan!”

Gladio wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Operation Pink Sparky Love!” she added.

“What kind of name is that?”

“It’s because we’re trying to get you a pink sparky love!”

Gladio had many questions, but decided not to insist on that subject.

“And what exactly is your plan?”

“You’ll have to discover the things he likes.”

“How?”

Iris stared at him, then slapped her own forehead.

“Talk to him!” she said.

“Alright… I think I can do that.”

Gladio said that in a playful tone, but it made Iris frown. She left his room with quick steps, then came back with a purple notebook and a glitter pen.

“I’ll write what you have to say, so you won’t do anything dumb,” she said.

“I’m not that dumb, Iris.”

“Yes, you are.”

She started to write in her slightly messy calligraphy.

“Let’s start with the flowers.” She offered him the notebook as soon as she finished writing. “Here!”

Gladio read those lines.

“Iris is making a project for school, and she needs to know the favorite flowers of the people close to her,” he considered the suggestion. “Sounds believable.”

“Of course it does!” she answered, proud of her genius. “Now go and discover his favorite flower!”

He read those lines again, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

“I don’t know, Iris,” he said. “Maybe this isn’t a good—”

“Do it, Gladdy!” she stared at his eyes and added in a deeper tone: “Do it!”

He sighed, defeated.

“Alright, alright… I’ll do it.”

Iris smiled, pleased with that answer. Gladio was still unsure of that plan, but… Well, it couldn’t end _that_ bad, right?

 

* * *

 

Gladio read that small piece of paper one last time. It was a terrible idea to trust the advices of a ten-year-old girl, but he had promised her he would try, and he didn’t break his promises to his sister. He placed the note on his pocket again, entering the training area. He trained there with Ignis almost every day, and it was his best chance to touch the subject.

He changed to his training clothes, and, as usual, they spent the next hour sparring. It had become an habit of theirs, and Gladio couldn’t deny that he had fun with it. When that session ended, he approached Ignis, offering him a towel, which he accepted with a smile.

Alright, that was the time.

“So, Iggy…” he started to say.

“Yes?”

When Ignis turned to him, Gladio’s eyes landed on a drop of sweat going down his neck. He averted his eyes to Ignis’ face, opening his mouth and… _Shit_ , he forgot what he had to say.

_Flowers_ _… Something about flowers._

“Do you like flowers?”

Ignis stared at him, confused.

“Excuse me?”

_Ok_ _… That wasn’t such a good start._

“I mean, would you be happy if you received flowers?” he tried to correct. “People usually are, right?”

“I guess?”

_Maybe he was being too direct_ _…_

“So, do you know what kind of flower someone would like to receive?”

_That certainly didn_ _’t help._

Ignis just looked at him for a while.

“Are you, by any chance, asking me for romantic advice?” he asked.

“What? No!” Gladio raised his hands, shaking his head. “It’s for Iris! She came after me asking these questions, and—”

“You’re asking me for romantic advice… For your ten-year-old sister?”

_That sounded totally wrong._

“Alright… Maybe I _am_ asking for your advice,” he admitted, trying to save the situation.

Ignis stared at him for a few seconds, in silence.

“This is a terrible idea,” he said.

“I’m sorry about that…”

There was an awkward silence between them. Gladio tried to think of a way to change the subject as soon as he could.

“Carnations,” said Ignis.

Gladio looked at him, confused. Ignis sighed.

“I had to research flowers for an event, a few months ago,” he said. “White carnations mean ‘pure love’, and red ones mean ‘passionate love’. It’s a good flower for a romantic gift, just choose which one fits the best.”

“Ah,” said Gladio.

“Something else you need?”

“No, not really.”

“Very well.”

Ignis walked away, to the showers. Gladio’s eyes followed him for a second.

“Hey Iggy…” he said. “Thanks!”

Ignis gestured at him, as if saying “no big deal”. Usually, Gladio would accompany him, but before he did, he went back to where he left his things, taking Iris’ note. The school work… Damn, it totally slipped his mind.

“ _She’ll be so mad at me…”_

 

* * *

 

She _was_ mad at him.

“I can’t believe you, Gladdy!” she said. “You did it all wrong!”

“It wasn’t that bad…”

“You asked the person you like for romantic advice! It was terrible!”

“I—”

“It couldn’t be worse!”

Gladio stayed as while Iris grumbled for the following minutes.

“We need to save the situation!” she said in a determined tone. “Don’t do anything stupid this time!”

“Fine, I’ll try…”

 

* * *

 

“Sweets?” asked Ignis, looking at him.

“Yeah… Do you know of any good ones?”

_Of course he did, why was he even asking?_

But, instead of pointing that out, Ignis fixed his glasses, thinking.

“It’s difficult to say,” he answered, “it changes from person to person.”

“But, if you had to choose one, which would it be?”

“Me?”

_Was he being too obvious?_

“Yeah,” he said. “Just to have an idea.”

“Particularly, I like Chiffon Cake.”

 _Chiffon Cake_ … He knew the name, but couldn’t associate it to anything.

“And how do you do that?” he asked.

Instead of answering, Ignis just stared at him in slight disbelief.

“You don’t want me to teach you how to do it, do you?” he asked.

“I…”

Gladio was so taken by surprise by that question that he couldn’t find an answer straight away. His silence just confirmed Ignis’ theory.

“Can it wait until evening?” he asked. “We can meet at my apartment, and I’ll show you how to bake it.”

Gladio knew he should have denied that offer and explained that wasn’t what he meant, but his brain immediately jumped at the idea of spending some time alone with Ignis.

“Of course!” he said, before he could stop himself.

 

* * *

 

“You’re late, Gladdy,” said Iris as soon as he got back home. “What happened?”

_Oh, dear six_ _…_

“I was baking with Ignis,” he said.

“What?”

He showed Iris the bag in his arms, and when she glanced inside, could see a small cake, decorated in chocolate and strawberries. She looked at him, and Gladio was sure she’d kick his shin anytime.

“You made him bake his own cake?” she asked.

“It didn’t go as I planned.”

She covered her face with both hands, groaning.

“By the stars, Gladdy… You’re so bad at this!”

“It’s not like I’ll give the same cake to him,” Gladio tried to defend himself. “I’ll make another one for that.”

“But still…” insisted Iris. “You could’ve only asked for the recipe!”

“I…” he would never admit that obvious thing didn’t cross his mind at the time. “I got nervous, alright?”

Iris groaned again, as if his stupidity caused her physical pain.

“I feel _so_ bad for Ignis…” she said. “You don’t deserve him.”

Gladio frowned at her.

“Anything else you want to say, monkey?” he asked.

“You’re always reading those giant books about romance, and you didn’t learn anything!”

“Have you been reading my books?”

“No…” she averted her eyes. “Maybe just a peek.”

“You’re too young for that kind of thing!”

“Stop treating me like a kid, Gladdy! At least I never asked my boyfriend to bake his own cake!”

“That’s because you never had a boyfriend!”

For a moment, Gladio was sure his sister was turning into a puffer fish.

“Alright, alright…” he said. “Calm down, monkey.”

“This time,” she approached him, pointing her finger at his face, “try not to do anything dumb!”

 

* * *

 

“So, Iggy…” started to say Gladio in a casual tone. “What do you think about teddy bears?”

Ignis took out his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose.

“For fuck’s sake, Gladiolus…”

It was rare to see Ignis cursing like that, and Gladio took it as a bad sign.

“Ok, maybe not teddy bears… But some kind of gift.”

“I really can’t help you with this,” he said, giving Gladio his back.

Gladio looked at him, and, as he expected, Ignis stopped a few steps later, looking at him again.

“I guess some people would be happy with a teddy bear.”

Gladio approached him, trying to be more subtle than on his previous attempts.

“Would you?” he asked.

_What an utter failure._

But, if Ignis found that question strange, he didn’t let it show.

“I’m more of a practical person,” he said.

“So, what kind of gift you think would be better?”

Ignis looked at him through the corner of his eye.

“Gladio,” he said, sounding a little impatient. “If you want that much to give this person a gift, then you should at least know what they like.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

Maybe his expression told that he was still unsure, because Ignis placed a hand on his back, guiding him to a bench, were they sat side by side.

“Listen,” he said. “I can tell this is important to you, but you can’t rely so much on others for advice.”

Gladio lowered his eyes.

“I know,” he said. “I just had no idea what else to do.”

“Just think about it. Something that would make them happy. It doesn’t need to be too complicated or expensive, as long as you thought of them when you chose it. I think, in this case, the intent is more important than the gift itself.”

Gladio felt a smile surging on the corner of his lips.

“When you put it like that, it’s really simple,” he said.

Ignis smiled back.

“It shouldn’t be that complicated to begin with. Maybe you’re the one making it so difficult.”

Gladio noticed Ignis’ eyes were still on him, and stared back, a low laugh leaving his throat.

“What?” he asked.

“I always thought you were the kind of person who was a natural at these things,” said Ignis. “I must admit that I’m a little surprised.”

Gladio laughed again, shaking his head.

“A guy has to keep his reputation, you know. Don’t want others to know I suck so much at this.”

“Well, now I know.”

“I just hope you don’t use it against me.”

“And waste such good blackmail material?”

They exchanged playful smiles. The conversation seemed to have reached its end, but neither got up from that bench.

“Hey, Iggy…” said Gladio, after a while. “Would you go out with a loser like me?”

Ignis stared at him, his eyes widening.

“And why are you asking me that?”

His voice was a little higher than usual, and Gladio realized that maybe — _certainly_ — he had talked too much.

“Sorry, that probably sounded weird,” he looked away, trying to hide the sudden embarrassment from his voice. “It’s just… I have no idea what I’m doing. My ten-year-old sister is better at this than I am. I try to look all cool and confident, but I’m a disaster.”

“Gladio…” said Ignis, gently placing a hand on his back. “You’re fine the way you are.”

Gladio scoffed in disbelief.

“Even if I suck at being romantic?” he asked.

“You went out of your way to learn about all this, for the sake of someone you like,” answered Ignis. “That’s pretty romantic in itself.”

Those words made his heart get lighter, and he smiled to himself.

“I’m glad at least you think so,” he said.

“Gladio…”

He looked at Ignis, and their eyes met. He seemed about to say something, but before he could, a small group of Glaives entered the room, chatting. Ignis sighed, disappointed.

“Nevermind,” he said.

Ignis got up, but before walking away, he looked at Gladio over his shoulder.

“You know, Gladio…” he had a light smile on his lips. “Maybe you should stop worrying so much about being romantic, and just tell this mysterious person how you feel.”

Gladio felt a brief shiver go down his body. He should have said it then, but his body didn’t move, and he just watched as Ignis left the room before him.

 

* * *

 

“Why didn’t you tell him?” asked Iris.

“I really don’t know.”

“Gladdy…”

Iris sat on the floor and pretended she was crying, while saying her brother would become a grandpa before he got a boyfriend.

“Stop being dramatic, monkey,” he said.

She stopped her act, looking at him.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“Put an end to operation Pink Sparky Love.”

He showed her a wide smile.

“I’ll go get myself a boyfriend.”

Iris’s face brightened, and she jumped at the same place.

“Finally!” she said.

She threw her arms around Gladio’s waist, hugging him.

“You’re starting to sound like a true Shield!” she said. “I’m so proud of you!”

Gladio had no idea why being a Shield had anything to do with all that, but decided not to question her.

“I’ll pretend that was a compliment,” he said.

“It was!” she looked up at him, smiling. “I love you, gorilla!”

He laughed at that silly nickname.

“And I love you, monkey.”

After that, he thought of what he could give Ignis. Of course, he could name a few things that could interest him, but it was still difficult to think of a gift. Cooking, coffee…

An idea grew on his mind, and he grabbed his phone, making a brief search. It took him some time, until he found something that he liked. Gladio got up, leaving his room.

He had a few preparations to make.

 

* * *

 

It was already dark when Ignis opened his door to see Gladio there, with a box in colored wrapping in his hands.

“May I ask what you’re doing here this late?” he asked.

“You know,” said Gladio, “just bringing something to the mysterious person I like.”

“Oh…” Ignis humored him. “And who might the lucky one be?”

“Maybe you’ll know if you open this.”

The smile on Ignis’ face made Gladio want to kiss him right then, but instead, he followed his friend inside the room, placing the gift on the table, waiting as Ignis undid the wrapping. Inside it was a coffee mug with delicate ornaments and four cupcakes he made with chocolate and coffee. It wasn’t Chiffon Cake, but he thought Ignis would still like the flavor.

“It’s not that impressive,” Gladio said, “but I tried to think of something you’d like.”

“It’s a nice present,” Ignis took that mug in his hand, taking a better look at it. When he spoke again, his voice had a playful tone. “But I’m a little surprised there are no flowers or teddy bears around.”

Gladio had to laugh at the thought.

“Maybe next time,” he said.

“Or maybe you could just skip them.”

Ignis looked from the things on the table to Gladio, offering him a sweet smile.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Better late than never, I guess.”

“Definitely better.”

Ignis approached him, placing his hands on his shoulders, while Gladio did the same to his waist. They kissed, and _Astrals_ , how much he had longed for that…

“I should now judge your culinary skills…” said Ignis, as soon as he pulled away.

“Oh, shit…” Gladio started to regret his choice of a gift just a little. “Please, don’t kick me out if it tastes terrible.”

“We’ll see about that.”

But, despite his words, Ignis seemed happy — and, to him, that was all that mattered. Gladio smiled to himself, putting an arm around Ignis’ waist, and, for a moment, he could almost hear Iris’ voice in his head:

“ _Operation Pink Sparky Love was a success!”_

Maybe listening to the advices of a ten-year-old hadn’t been such a bad idea, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Gladio is being my guinea pig this week... I just love putting him in ridiculous situations. ♥  
> I hope you liked it!


End file.
